Posted on 09/29/2022 12:27:44 PM PDT by Red Badger
This mystery ocean creature is under investigation by curious scientists. - NOAA Ocean Exploration
From the same science folks who brought us weird seafloor holes and a ghostly squid comes a new mystery of the deep: a "blue goo" animal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Okeanos Explorer crew spotted oddball specimens of an unknown sea creature during a recent expedition in the Atlantic.
"Have you heard about the latest Okeanos mystery? Seen multiple times during off St. Croix, this 'blue goo' animal stumped scientists, who thought it might be soft coral, sponge, or tunicate (but def not a rock!)," the Okeanos team tweeted on Wednesday.
VIDEO AT LINK..............
The creature is the color of worn denim and appears to have lumpy features across its surface. I think it resembles an underwater version of Inky the ghost from Pac-Man. A different specimen also spotted by the remote-operated dive vehicle looked more like a puddle than a ghost.
The team offered several ideas for what the critters might be. Soft corals, as the name suggests, have soft bodies. Sponges have porous bodies that allow them to filter their food from the water. Tunicates are marine invertebrates sometimes known as sea squirts.
One of the video narrators said the mystery would likely remain until a sample was collected and examined or until coral experts get a good look at it.
Okeanos Explorer is investigating largely unexplored deepwater areas in the Atlantic to map the seafloor and study the geology and wildlife. It's a major bonus along the way to discover unknown and mysterious animals that dwell there. It highlights how much more we have to learn about the deep.
Looks like a ball of whale vomit.
It looks like a Brain Slug from Futurama.
A “Sea Slug” is a “nudibranch”, which can be colorful and moves under its own power.
There ya go!
Waterlogged silica aerogel chew toy!
😜😁👍.......................
Thaumoctopus Scrotus Livens
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